Lindorm Princess

Chapter 13

I changed back into my farm clothes in the room. Músartré had seen that they had been laundered, starched, and neatly folded in the corner of the wardrobe. I needed to be dressed practically, to move with ease. I was afraid of tripping on the fae clothes in the dark, or worse, sullying them. It was a silly sentiment when it took Músartré less than an hour to craft new garments, but I couldn't shake the memories of painstaking labor that went into sewing new clothes back home. To waste her craft, or take it for granted felt like a sin.  Instead of putting on my worn, leather shoes, however, I reached for the fur-lined slippers. I wasn't ready to relinquish their comfort.

 Already, the sunlight had faded beneath the tree line, as Músartré fussed over a cloak she had fashioned. It was a green so deep, it appeared almost black in the dying light. I was going to be late to my meeting with Björk.

"I can fasten it myself, you know," I said, smiling, but I let her tug it over my shoulders anyway, and tie it with a bow.

"I know," said Músartré. "Just let me tie it though, please, because you always tie the bow lopsided."

I laughed.

"It's going to be dark, and no one will notice," I teased. "But thank you, for ensuring I won't freeze to death tonight."

She nodded.

"You will be entering the water, so make sure you take the cloak off beforehand. Or you will have nothing to keep you warm after."

"You know of the ritual?" I asked, surprised.

"We all do," she said simply. "Many seek Björk for his services, especially in the late summer, when the waters are warmer. It helps those remember what they have lost. After several millennia on this earth, it becomes difficult to sort our histories without the help of written word, or the lake."

She laughed at a memory.

"He has sorted many a lovers quarrel between old fae couples." Suddenly, she sobered. "When you see the full story, please remember to grant the master some lenience. He is not the same now, as he once was."

I nodded.

"Of course I shall," I promised. The pit of my stomach twisted at her words. What would I see in the lake? Everyone alluded to Slange's past, even Slange himself, as one filled with grievances.

Thoughts buzzed in my head as I wound through the castle to the kitchen. I yelped as my foot caught on the doorjamb as I entered, and I swung my arms wildly, before finding my balance against the smooth, timber-framed walls.

"Ouch," said Slange drily. "That was my tail."

"I'm sorry!" I said, wincing. I could see now that I had tripped over him yet again, in the small kitchen space. "Why are you here? Are you accompanying me to the lake?" I asked, hopeful. I peeked around him, to see Björk fastening a cloak around his wooden shoulders.

"No," Slange said gruffly. "I told you, the lake will only accept one. I will only confuse the divining process, and complicate it. I just came to give you this. Hold out your hand."

I did as I was told, and stretched out my palm. Transfixed, I could only stare as Slange breathed a blue flame over it. The fire did not burn, but caressed my skin gently, like a promise.

"When you open your palm in the dark," Slange said, "My spell will light your way, and protect you. It marks you as my ward."

I watched his fangs glint in the candlelight, as Slange's mouth twisted into a solemn grin.